© 2025 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

'Realms of the Unreal': Henry Darger's Secret Life

For much of his life, Henry Darger was almost invisible. He was an odd man -- a reclusive janitor whose outside life revolved around going to church and monitoring the weather. But in death, Darger has become well known and honored, inspiring books, a musical and now, a documentary.

A talented and troubled artist, Darger used large paintings and a 15,000 page epic novel titled The Realms of the Unreal to create a secret mystical world of heroic little girls fighting evil. Filmmaker Jessica Yu's new film about Darger has the same name. She talks with NPR's Jennifer Ludden about the documentary.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

WKAR’s first live pledge drive since federal funding was eliminated is happening now. Our goal for the drive is $60,000 and reaching it will bring us one step closer to closing the federal funding gap.
Your support helps keep trusted journalism, classical music, and educational programming freely available for everyone in our community.
How can you help? Become a sustaining donor today. Already a sustainer? Please consider increasing your monthly contribution.